The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1887-02-06
RANDOM NOTES.

What magnificent performances those of the
american Opera troupe have been the past
'cck, all things considered, and what an I'M
ncusc business was done, From orchestra
.uard 10 gallery wall the vast auditorium was
rowdcd at every performance, the full liml,
llOwcd hy the police hcing touched ON all hut
me OF two occasions, while hundreds were sent
way at least twice And vet, strange 10 say,
{ expenses were cleared during the week, little
more was done. This viii seem Incompetent
lille to most people, lmi il is io he feared II Is
he truth As nt present run, there is good
cason TO believe the National Opera Company
'aunol make money The expenses of the CON
,crn, II need NOT I've said are simply enormous
N the ncighhorhood of S2i 900 q week Al
baugh's Opera House win seat about ., 100 pcu-
pie and will hold altogether about 1000, IL the
police would permit all the standing room Ia
he utilized But they won't, and they limited
he "standing room only admissions the past
week 10 600 Suppusng the house 10 have been
filled to it, utmost capacity al each performance
luring the opera engagement, II would not take
long to figure ont, ut the advertised prices, the
amount of money obtained hy the National
Opera people. Out uf that comes the per
rcntagc ut the house, aud then 1t will he seen
that under the most favorable conditions cx-
pcnscs were only barely cleared. This Is ON
the S25, 600 awcck basis, than which those who
ought Ia know agree they can he hut little less.
Another fact about the opera which will sur
prise most people. "lf II wasn't foi the honor
and prestige of The house" said an attache
of Albnugh's the other night, 1--WE wouldn't
have the opera here Il, ALL There isn't a cent
of money in 1t for us. You have no idea of the
amount oi extra work II involves. There wasn't
n hit Of our properties and scenery foot square
that didn't have To hc cleared oil the stage to
make room for the opera company's stun. Just
think Of it, They use llO different drops, aud
carry with them thirteen carloads of material
lltnFptnpr Then when tup\ rr hprp ~!
bills are simply enormous, as the stage hands
have 10 work all night, taking out the setting
OF one opera and putting up another. Then We
had to take four rows oi seats out OF the or
chcstra ami do II thousand other little extras,
all costing money No, sir, there isn't cent III
1t. nt course it's nice to have all those big
crowds coming here every night, hu, they ar,
terribly hard on the carpets"
a9a
The opera company doesn't make money, til,
local managers don't make money; then u yer,
natural question Is. Who does? Well, il l.
said that Theodore Thomas and number o
employees draw salaries from Mrs Thurber'.
treasury; and the little army of prime doInc
tenori, bdSSi, haritoncs, prime katherine, lalic,
of the ballet, and gentlemen of the orchestra
are said no, Ia he underpaid. But when all L.
said, 1t must lie admitted the public Is til,
principal gamer. \ lady, writing 10 II dali,
paper complaining of the cheap and inartisti,
programmes of the opera, alludes frequent,
To the high price she had to pay for seats I'll,
fact Of the matter is, in no capital In Europ,
could such a performance of Aida as that o
Wednesday night, Faust ON Tuesday, q
The Du,chman' On Thursday, have heei
heard for TIM prices charged 10y the Nationa
troupe at Albaugl's q. This makes the solution
of the financial problem which the manager
have 10 solve seem plain. If such perform
ances cannot he given for the prices asked, an,
our people continue To demand them, the!
will have 10 pay more.
1t is patriotic and wholesome thing 10 do t,
stand mp for the institutions of your country
and ! noticed that most of the working news
| paper men did il at the performances of th
National Opera Company during the week
The journalists filled the press seats and i'm
parted an intellectual glamour To the ultra
fashionable orchestral region. But here, as IL
all other odd corners of the universe, the lay
of compensations got in its work. The ioui
nalists saved their legs hut their ears hal 4
suffer when Theodore Thomas fetched tina
famous down stroke of his, and the trombone
groaned and the drummers banged, and th
cymbals clashed and clattcred and Changed
Then il was that the working newspaper me
Were grateful for the distance which stretche
between them and the confines of the orcheStra
IT. nice to be Senator'S son-nicer in man
cases than Ia lie the Senator'S sell. The lait,
HIS Nbi u tHploscu lb hiNtl u ''l'uiH Honi'
thing called dignity, which often interfcr,
with his public pursuit Of pleasures of the MOI
roysterous sort. Not so the former. His IL I'll
ideal existence Of untrammeled fun, with
maximum of privilege a minimum Of respons
bility, and unlimited Mumm of extra equality
when his father happens TO he one OF the Ora
suses who abound in the upper House. If yo
are senator's son You can look at life froi
the thrcc-lttle maids standpoint and act ~
cOrimgly, and the whole world will cOincd
From cOorel walters to California tongres
men, they will let You practice with your lit
7 pistol on them; thus with vast consider
/, tion demonstrating the sincerity of their bell
that life Is joke. \ Senator's son, arrayed
dress suit and the pride of his descent, ai
accompanied 10y two other Ingenious youth
had heap of fun ai the opera the other ngl
e Through rcgarl doubtless, ior the feelings oi u
, ladies present, they did not fire oil their pistol
bat short of this they had ~ merry time ns Il
= most eXacting Young arisiocrats could desire u
I der the circumstances. They whistled snaichcs
| popular American airs in dcrisiOn of the iorei.
G music which the opera people We're discoursin
they laughed 10 scOm the whole proceeding
they snickcrel and sncercl and patroni1ing
t smirked al the common people about them, al
u altogether quite acccptahly entertained lar
Il group oi undcrsizcd men who hni given
% trying To catch view of the stage over I
=. shoulders Of the rows of giants who fringei I
e orchestra circle seats four deep.
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